Game #58: Bruce Almighty

And the Casting Director Said "Let There Be Morgan Freeman", and it Was Goooood.

My memory of things might be exaggerated, but when I was growing up it felt like Jim Carrey was inescapable. Not that I minded; the man is a living Looney Tunes character, and I love me some Bugs Bunny. Those I queried about Carrey all seemed to agree on a unified description of him: talented, but not versatile, more of a performer than an actor (except in "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" where he oh God I started crying again make it stop). He's the type of actor you write plots around, and during his hay-day, most of those plots were just as out there and maniacal as the man himself.

"Bruce Almighty" is a good showcase of Carrey in, if not his prime, than the most lucrative part of his career. The idea of revisiting it in my twenties is nerve-wracking. Is it possible for me to tear apart a film that I once considered to be the pinnacle of comedy?

This essay is less about tying "Bruce Almighty" into current cultural trends, because I'm really not sure you can. It's more about examining, on a personal level, something that I once thought was hilarious and asking it with bleary, gin-soaked eyes, "Can you still make me laugh?"

"Booze Almighty": The Rules

For this game, we drank a potent cocktail called the "Seventh Heaven". It's an old-school cocktail that I'm not sure people actually order in bars, but it introduced me to a lovely little liqueur called Maraschino (it's not as sweet as the cherries - it tastes a little like almonds). These babies are strong, and heavy on the gin, so don't gulp it down like a maniac.

Definitely modeled after the "fat angels with harps" version of heaven.

Easy Mode
1. Drink for Title Drops: That's the full title, "Bruce Almighty".
2. Drink when They Drink
3. Drink for Daddy Issues.
4. Drink when Bruce talks to himself.
5. Drink for catchphrases. Bruce has his own catchphrases ("B-E-A-Utiful!"), and he'll also try other people's catchphrases on for size.
6. Drink for miracles. For simplicity, that's every time Bruce or Morgan Freeman uses their almighty powers.

Medium Mode
All the above rules apply. Also...
1. Title drops: Drink whenever anyone says the name "Bruce".
2. Drink when someone says the word "prayer", or any related word.
3. Drink when Bruce tries to train his dog how to pee outside. It's a joke that refuses to die.

Hard Mode
All the above rules apply. Also...
1. Drink when Bruce talks to God. Either in person, or screaming up into the heavens without expecting an answer.
2. Drink when the homeless man with signs appears. 
3. Drink when things get worse.

We'll talk about this one.

The Players

Our players for this month's game are...

Krissy Pappau: Would probably do fuck all with godly powers, let's be honest (medium)
Pooh Daddy: Our sober companion and voice of reason (ice cream)
Vicky the Raptor Queen: Likes "Evan Almighty" better than this movie. It has animals (hard)
The Fuzzy Masked Man: His hatred of "Evan Almighty" intensified after spending nine months on a boat (easy).

Don't Name your Kid "Bruce"

In his comedies at least, Jim Carrey gets typecast as one character in particular - the charismatic asshole who by the film's end learns an important lesson that makes him a good guy. Usually this epiphany is aided by Faustian magic powers that refuse to be dispelled until he finally gets his shit together.

"30 Rock" does a PERFECT parody in their Leap Day episode.

Bruce Nolan as a main character subverts that set-up a little bit, in a subtle way that changes how this kind of movie plays out: Bruce's assholery is only heightened when he receives godly powers. Once he knows exactly what's going on, he uses the gifts God gave him to sexually manipulate his girlfriend, steal things, settle petty grievances through deceit and violence, and generally disregard the world around him. He has to be told by God to use his powers for good, and even then he half-asses it, even though this same man took the time to track down the only gang in Buffalo so he could make a monkey magically fly out of his butt.

"He's gay now. That did it." -Pooh Daddy

The point is, Bruce's character arch is not that of an asshole who is tricked into being a good guy because of a gypsy curse or whatever. It's of an asshole who is brutally shown through cause and effect the complexity of the universe and his place as a cog within that machine. Or at least that's what the film is trying to get across; it takes a couple near-death experiences before Bruce wises up, and he still doesn't figure out the steps he should take to be a good guy until he is explicitly told, but one of the things I enjoy about this film is that Bruce's actions do have consequences. Even if those consequences are erased later.

This might be the only film where "Deus Ex Machina" is an acceptable way to end the story.

There's something to be said for having an unlikable main character, specifically a guy like Bruce. Bruce is identifiable in the same way that he is hard to sympathize with: he thinks that he deserves more than he has, and he throws a fit like a whiney baby man-child whenever someone else gets something he wants (case in point, his total meltdown on live television when his rival is promoted to lead anchor before he is). Bruce is a man who can't see the grand design, who is unable to see how his actions affect others, who would rather blame an outside force instead of sacking up and taking responsibility. And the film still expects us to take his side, probably because its creators have felt like Bruce at some point in their lives. Which is a human way to feel. Hell, I felt like Bruce two weeks ago when I missed my train by five seconds.

Dear God, the E train has been running at the pace of a horse and cart for months, can you do something about that?

Thanks to good casting and execution, this story feel satisfying enough, but the larger problem still remains. Why this asshole? Why now? What kind of deity would take the time to teach some insignificant jerk a lesson?

We're going to have to look at God himself to figure that one out.

God Complex

*choir of angels*

The Fuzzy Masked Man, when referring to any almighty power, will just say the words "Morgan Freeman". That is how influential this man's portrayal of God is. I'm not sure why we bother to cast anyone else, honestly. Freeman has the perfect balance of charm and menace needed to convincingly play an omniscient, all-powerful, yet ultimately playful being.

So, just making this clear, my issues with God in "Bruce Almighty" have nothing to do with Freeman. His acting saves the role and distracts the audience from noticing that the ways God functions in this world make little to no sense.

As established earlier, Bruce's flagrant abuse of power leads to a whole lot of damage. Tsunamis occur off the coast of Japan, dozens of people lose their jobs and/or go to prison to serve long term sentences, fiery riots erupt all over Buffalo...and all of this happens so that Bruce can learn to pay attention to people besides himself for a change?

"God is a mean kid with a magnifying glass," says Bruce at one point, "and I'm the ant". Well, if I'm to take this film at its word, he's absolutely right. God is an antagonistic, immature, BORED slacker who is willing to waste time allowing some dude to hurt other people to prove a point. To say nothing of the egotism he demonstrates upon first meeting Bruce. Remember that trick with the endless filing cabinet?

"That was not worth the CGI." - Vicky the Raptor Queen

"I wanted this movie to be about Morgan Freeman teaching Jim Carrey how to run the world so he could retire from being God," said the Fuzzy Masked Man near the end of our session. "I would watch that!"

Yeah, I would too. As it is, "Bruce Almighty" is an entertaining film but it isn't actually saying anything substantial except "don't be a dick", and I think the core of that lack of introspection comes from the relationship between Bruce and God. Maybe if the film was more about the two of them interacting and less about Freeman letting Carrey sink or swim, the jumbled biblical references and religious attitudes that the film tries to insert would sort themselves out.

Then again, maybe our desire to see this kind of film stems from our ideal vision of God. "Bruce Almighty"'s God has a sense of humor and an ineffable knowledge of how people behave, and that suits the screwball comedy that the film presents itself as quite nicely. Maybe God is an asshole in this film because that portrayal lends credence to the existence of people like Bruce and Evan. Who knows? It works for this story, but it's not optimal.

Also God being a dick is the only reason "Evan Almighty" could even exist, because he clearly states in the Old Testament, as Fuzzy points out, that he's never going to do anything like that huge flood again. Sucks for all of us.

"Maybe he changed his mind." "He CAN'T change his mind! He gave us a rainbow!" - Krissy and the Fuzzy Masked Man

Things Get Worse

Okay, so I'm obviously way overthinking "Bruce Almighty" by this point. This was not a movie made to provoke in-depth thought about God and the workings of the universe. This was a silly comedy meant to entertain, and show off the astounding developments made in computer graphics. So here's the question: does it do that?

For the most part: yeah. It really does. I hadn't watched this movie since I was a teenager, and I still found myself laughing at most of the stuff I did back then. Carrey, even though he's played this part before, still manages to avoid being annoying in his hyperactive portrayal of Bruce, and a lot of the jokes are very clever. Plus, this film has the added bonus of showcasing Steve Carrell as a comedian before he hit it big. Who can forget that classic scene where Bruce manipulates the teleprompter on his lead anchor debut? Never before has gibberish been so compelling.

"Who did they record first? Who had to mimic the other person?" -Pooh Daddy

So yeah, props to "Bruce Almighty" - it is both memorable and lasting. I have no real problems with it, except for one thing: the love story. 

From an observational perspective, it really seems like Jennifer Aniston and Jim Carrey did NOT get along on set during filming. Their chemistry is next to nil, and while their relationship is supposed to be on the rocks from the very beginning, we all still struggled to see why these two were together at all. Aniston's Grace is so optimistic and spiritual, while Bruce is cynical and demanding. You would think that their relationship would have self-destructed long before they got five years in.

Unless Jim Carrey is as good in the sack as I've always thought he might be.

So, let's break down the steps of what we see in this relationship real quick: Bruce and Grace have a huge fight because Bruce refuses to let Grace console him after he loses his job and Evan gets the promotion over he does. Grace accuses him of being selfish and short-sighted; Bruce responds by throwing things.

THEN Bruce gets his powers, and after fucking around for a day he surprises Grace at their apartment and wins her back with a stunningly romantic evening - complete with sexual manipulation! He gives her multiple orgasms from a room away and claims his reward in terrifyingly violent make-up sex (I still think this scene is funny, but DAMN). Grace wakes up the next morning to find that her breasts are noticeably larger; Bruce used his powers to alter her body.

"Ask first, though, she might have said yes!" - Vicky the Raptor Queen

After a series of unfortunate misunderstandings (all of which are Bruce's fault), Grace seems ready to leave him for good...until Bruce sends her a series of "signs from the universe" that urge her to stay with him instead of dumping his ass. This tallies nicely with what we know about Bruce already; instead of doing the difficult thing, which is apologizing to his girlfriend for treating her like shit, he uses his god powers to try and avoid any real work. Manipulating circumstance like this is EASY for him; actually admitting he was wrong is hard.

Anyway Grace, to her credit, doesn't fall for his bullshit. Bruce then tries to WILL her to love him, even though he was explicitly told by God himself that he could not use his powers to control a person's free will. Grace takes this behavior as a sign that she's making the right choice in ending this relationship, and walks away for good.

At this point in the film, Bruce makes an effort to turn his life around and become a better person. Then, Grace's sister comes by to pick up her stuff and mentions to Bruce that when Grace prays, she never prays on her own behalf. She prays for Bruce and his success and happiness.

Here's where I got the feels, and where the film could have made an effort to say something real: Bruce peeks in on Grace and finds her sobbing alone in bed, praying for God to release her from her feelings for her ex-boyfriend. Even after taking the necessary step of ending their relationship, Grace still loves him. It's not like she can turn it off. Watching this sad, tired woman pray for the end of a feeling that once brought her joy is startling and moving - it touches on why people turn to prayer in times of need, and it's the only point in the film where Grace feels like a real person.

If the film had ended the romantic storyline right there, it would have been powerful and unexpected. But it doesn't; Bruce gets hit by a truck and tells God, to his credit, that his last wish is for Grace to find a man who will love her the way she deserved to be loved by him. It's a nice sentiment, and he means it...but God goes ahead and assumes that by coming to this conclusion he deserves to give the relationship one more try and spares his life. Grace rushes to his hospital bed, they make up, and the epilogue reveals that they get engaged.

I'm a little horrified, honestly. No matter how you look at it, Grace was abused at Bruce's hands for a long time. The film makes no effort to sugar-coat their relationship; it seems fucked up beyond repair. So yeah, watching Grace end up with Bruce, changed man that he is, at the end of the film does not feel satisfying. The narrative worked up until the last five minutes. Bruce and Grace both remained in character throughout the film, and forcing Bruce to fail at something and start over would convincingly cement the lessons he'd learned over the course of the film. The "happy ending" feels forced, yet another example of a screenwriter going for the conclusion that is most convenient instead of the conclusion that stays true to his creation.

The film came so close to being more than a screwball comedy. I still love it to bits, but it's a more mature sort of love - I recognize the flaws in the diamond now. It's not a 14-carat ring anymore. More like a plastic doodad that my high school fling won for me at a carnival. Lots of sentimental value that I'll treasure forever, but there's much better stuff out there.

The Results

"Bruce Almighty" is an imperfect, but fun, comedy that is great to drink to. Parts of it even become funnier when you're slightly buzzed (that dog-training gag is really stupid). The rules above work nicely, but God whispered a couple more in my ear after we finished playing.

Drink when Bruce wears silly headgear
As the novelty newscaster at his station, Bruce is forced into a lot of crazy costumes during the film. My favorite is the umbrella hat that he wears at the giant waterfall.

Drink whenever Bruce hints that he's God
His powers go straight to his head. Bruce takes his temporary station very seriously, and often laces his speech with pretentious faux-biblicisms. 

Drink when Bruce complains about something
He does it a lot. When he goes on a rant, try drinking the entire time. See how long you last.

"They would never let the feed run this long." - The Fuzzy Masked Man

I miss watching comedies. Let's do more of that! Next month's game will take us into a new territory - farce.

Most of you have no idea what film this screenshot is from. You are all in for a treat.

Like what you see? Follow us on Facebook and Twitter, at For Your Inebriation and @KrissyPappau respectively. You'll get weekly updates, behind the scenes drunk talk, and other chatter!

For Your Inebriation is written by Krissy Pappau (Hollis Beck). All "Bruce Almighty" images are owned by Universal Studios Home Entertainment.